Michael Parenti vs God and his Demons

Part One: New World Notes #560, 28:18 (November 25)
Broadcast quality mp3 (39 MB)
Decent quality mp3 (13 MB)

Part Two: New World Notes #561, 28:42 (December 4):
Broadcast quality mp3 (39 MB)
Decent quality mp3 (13 MB)

In a telephone interview with me on April 6, 2010, Left-leaning political scientist Michael Parenti discusses his book, God and His Demons (Prometheus Books)--a survey of the woes caused in the name of, and by, Organized Religion.

In Part One, Parenti talks about rampant child sexual abuse by the Christian (and other) clergy and the coverup thereof--and now, at the Vatican, the coverup of the coverup. He talks about the venality of the Protestant televangelists and the oppressive Buddhist theocracy in Tibet before the Chinese Communists took over. He talks about our society's ignoring some sins frequently denounced in the Bible--e.g., charging high interest rates ("usury")--while we piously condemn "sins" the Bible never mentions (gay marriage, abortion). And he rebuts creationism, "Intelligent Design," . . . and some of the conclusions of Charles Darwin.

Micharl Parenti

In Part Two, Parenti discusses the unholy alliance of the Church, the nation-state, and economic power; ... FEMA's enlistment of the clergy to preach obedience to authority; ... and the Christian Right's takeover of the Air Force Academy. He ends with praise for 2 unorthodox 16th-century Christians--Montaigne and Giordano Bruno--and explaining why, despite everything, he's not an atheist.

Music added: satiric songs by Roy Zimmerman (one in each part).

http://www.michaelparenti.org/
http://www.prometheusbooks.com

These installments were originally broadcast in April-May 2010. Files downloaded from the links, above, are identifiedas NWN #280 & 281.